Kira's Successor
by DarkRequisite
Summary: With the death of Kira, crime has risen once again.....But the story of Death Note does not stop there. Another Death Note has fallen to the human world, what will happen now?
1. The Note Returns

**Death Note****: Kira's Successor**

* * *

--The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

--This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

* * *

**Stage 1: The Note Returns**

January, 2015

After the death of Kira, crime has reached an all time high. In many countries, criminals enforce terror into citizens. While Kira ruled, criminals were struck down until crime was virtually non-existent. With the risk gone, criminals now have nothing to fear since many police officers were in fact criminals themselves. They themselves have been caught by Kira's onslaught and the number of officers has decreased greatly, particularly in urban areas.

Shinigami World:

The Shinigami called Ivy peers down at the human world below. The bright windows of Manhattan, the neon lights of Tokyo, and the twilight shine of Paris.

_The human world is such a beautiful place….Beautiful, yet corrupted._

The Shinigami turned, to face the desolate world that she resided in. A barren wasteland: pitiful when contrasted to the human world. Thick rain pelted on her cloak.

Beneath her: a large gaping portal to the Human World. The portal was currently reflecting a city known as "New York City". The residents of New York were also experiencing rain, however, their rain was thin and pleasant.

_I don't think they will mind if I "drop in"….._

With those quick thoughts, Ivy slowly flies above the portal and quickly glides to the human world, three notebooks in a large bag held at her side.

* * *

Human World:

Serias Staefield, a rumored "genius" awakes in her room

Her bed and everything else neatly stuffed. A bookshelf aligns her right wall, and a computer desk on the left. In front of her bed is a small T.V. on a slightly bigger dresser.

A high school student, only 17, she is considered a "loner" and has powerful analyzing skills.

She leaves for school, after quickly swallowing cereal. Her little brother, Junis, and her mother, Siyusa greet her as she walks into the kitchen.

"Good morning." Siyusa says brightly.

Serias glowers: her mornings are anything but "good".

She quickly departs for school, the haven of idiocy.

She reads during lessons, ignoring the actual classes themselves; yet somehow still managing to complete assignments with excellent scores.

Walking home, the rain is now pelting her umbrella.

_My father used to inspire me. He gave me a reason to live: to be just like him._

_He was one of the top businessmen in his company; he worked for the greater good. He would never have allowed his employers to become corrupted. He always favored the environment rather then industrialization, always believed that the employees deserved the best._

_But then Kira died…..And soon afterward, a year later, my father died. _

_My father's boss, Robert Mudirch: CEO of ListianCorp._

_He reigned after Kira died. With Kira gone, corruption grew, once again. Robert Mudirch was no exception. He exploited his employees, including my father._

_Then, Robert Mudirch fired my father. The ending blow. My father looked for a job…..but most companies were corrupted as well. Kira's death gave them a means to exploit their employees. My father, unable to find a job, invested all of our remaining money in his own life. He then died of a car crash a day later. My family received heavy bonuses from his insurance, and we now had a comfortable life. My mother was even able to follow her dream of becoming an author._

_I have no doubt that he intentionally killed himself. His sacrifice was deeply felt most by my mother, who constantly thanked him in her sleep._

_Robert Mudirch….The reason my father is dead._

As she walked, Serias turned, and saw Robert Mudirch's face on a building screen.

He was on the news: He was on trial for the corruption.

The news anchorwoman spoke with disinterest, "Robert Mudirch, the CEO of ListianCorp. will have his charges dropped due to an agreement in which he has promised to compensate the affected families with a bonus." As she said this, a figure on the screen walked towards the camera and waved: Robert Mudirch.

_So this is a live broadcast._

Above Serias, the Shinigami Ivy was flying, holding a white notebook. Black ink on the cover showed the phrase "Death Note". The stark black strikes on the soft silvery white book created the effect of the black ink corrupting the pure book.

She stared in awe at the vast buildings below; humans unable to see her.

Staring down, Ivy immediately noticed a small problem with the crowded streets.

_It's best if I drop this in a secluded area, where this book will not be trampled by vehicles….._

She looked at the streets below, a small park was nearby. Slowly, Ivy flowed directly above the park. Her cloak flowing with the wind, Ivy slowly pried her fingers from the notebook.

The white notebook glistened silver in the light as it fell, swaying slightly with current.

Serias, unfocused, stared at the floor as she prodded slowly.

Suddenly, a sparkle of light flashed behind her. She quickly turned and saw a silvery book fall: her mind slowed, and the notebook fell slowly, the rain slowing.

Suddenly the notebook landed with a soft thud, and instantly, the rain stopped.

Serias, wide eyed, stared at the notebook.

_The book landed on moist grass, surely the owner must want this fancy notebook back._

_But who was the owner? It just fell from above._

Serias glanced to her sides, nobody in sight, she peered at the notebook. The words

"_Death Note_" was etched into the cover, permanently.

She glanced to her sides again, and slowly, she extended her hand. She laid her hand on the notebook, the cover was smooth, yet had a feel that suggested it was extremely ancient.

She quickly grabbed the notebook and stared at the cover. The words on the cover transfixed her. The white notebook had a magical quality to it, unexplainable to Serias.

She suddenly opened the book, expecting an explosion, and gasped at the words on the inside cover.

_-"The human whose name is written in this note shall die."_

_This can't be true. This notebook…..it can't really kill people….can it?!_

Serias stared intently at the notebook.

_This notebook has the power to kill?.....There are more rules……_

_-"This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected."_

_This is….certainly specific. A well thought out prank, at most._

_-"If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen."_

_-"If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack."_

_-"After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds."_

_This prank…..It's pretty elaborate. It seems similar to the way that Kira was able to kill people. Could it be…..the murder weapon of the Kira case?! _

Serias jerkily smacks her forehead, just for even believing this for a second.

_Of course this is a prank; it is illogical to even suggest that a notebook can kill someone just by a written name._

She violently throws the notebook, repulsed by it, and turns to leave. She quickly walks; the better to get away from the notebook. She almost leaves the small park when a sudden urge beckons her.

She turns, and glares at the notebook, a smirk on her face.

_Just one try won't hurt._

In the Staefield apartment, Siyusa Staefield lies alone in her dimly lit room. Clutching a rectangular card, she is startled to hear the door being unlocked and creaking open. She swiftly emerges from the comfort of blankets and drops the card.

She greets her daughter with the usual statement of the lateness with which Serias arrives.

The saddened mother feigns a smile and decides to lounge in the living room, perhaps watch a soap opera.

The concerned daughter is not fooled and enters her mother's room. She sees the all-to-rare photograph of her father, the final picture taken before his suicide. It was labeled, "Farewell, my loves. This is for you." And was left beside his suicide note. The note was never shown to Serias or her brother, it was deemed to saddening by their mother.

Serias took a second glance at the photograph and exited. She was concerned, but she had a weapon to test.

Once in her room, she relaxes for a second, this may be one of her last rests.

She suddenly locks her door, opens her bag, and pulls out the pure white notebook. With a feeling of anxiousness and excitement, she opens the book. She passes the primary pages, past the rules, and stares at a blank page.

_I need a name_.....

The name Robert Mudirch seems the obvious candidate.

She slowly writes his full name.

Then she swiftly turns on her channel to Sakura TV News, which was now an almost worldwide channel due to the popularity of the Kira case; or rather due to the popularity of Kira himself.

The channel was still showing Robert Mudirch apologizing live.

Serias franticly glances at the time on the corner of the screen.

_It's been 20 seconds since I wrote the name…..19…..18…..17….._

"….and with that, I can truly say that I am sorry for all the pain that _may_ have occurred to these people, _if_ in fact it did…..", _14…….13…...12….11…._ "….a feeling of mutual forgiveness. Can the civilians do that for me?"

"Do that for _you_?!" Serias couldn't help but yell.

_You deserve no pity, Mudirch, you should be punished. After the pain you cost, you want your victims to forgive you? _

As the thoughts flew by in her head, Mudirch suddenly gagged and sprawled. He then quickly collapsed, dead.

Serias' heart freezes.

_He's dead?.....I killed him. This notebook actually works. Yet somehow, I don't feel any pity for Mudirch. That must be because of the damage he caused my family._

The next day passed with ease. Serias convinced herself that the world was better without a person like Mudirch. But within her heart, Serias did not know whether murder was justified even if the victim was Mudirch……

_But then again, Mudirch caused the lives of thousands of workers to be ruined. Certainly the death of one virus was fair if it prevented the ruining of many innocent lives. But there is a flaw. If the world were to be rid of corrupt people, that would take a brave person to judge hundreds, even thousands of criminals. Could I be that person? _

_Could I be.....Kira's Successor?  
_


	2. Documents and Coffee Mugs

**--Death Note****: Kira's Successor--**

* * *

_--_If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

--If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

--After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

* * *

**--Stage 2: Documents and Coffee Mugs--**

1:30am**  
**

In a far distant building, in an isolated room; a single figure is laying on the floor. Dead? No, he is merely laying there.

His hair is black, messy; his clothes are unkempt and consisted of a black sweater and black pants. His skin itself was mildly pale, and his face gave of a message of eternal boredom. His eyes were, unsurprisingly, black.

The light from the room shines from a mass of screens at the front of this dark room. One of the screens beeped, and a large "L" appeared.

Suddenly another soft note and a text box appeared. Words starting appearing, as if typed by an unknown source. The letters remain the only moving thing in the room.

"L: This is not L. L has been confirmed dead. We are investigating, but we believe it was merely an accident. L died of a heart attack. In light of this, we wish for you to become the new successor to L. Kindly respond immediately."

The boy on the floor slowly grabbed the mugged, raised his head (with it's huge mass of black hair and all), and walked towards the screen. He quickly read the words and slammed the mug onto a desk that also contained a laptop. He stretched and peered into the swirling darkness that was contained in his mug.

_It's a shame that Nate had to go so soon. And I was beginning to enjoy him as an friend. Well, I won't be completely alone.....  
_

The boy, called _K_, suddenly began his reply. Only moments later, he sent back his own message.

"K: This is K. I have read your message and understand. L died of a heart attack, according to you. So that makes me the successor. I do not wish to take on the alias of L, as I will not need it. But I will accept his position as head of world wide investigations. In any event, L died of a heart attack. It is strange, since just yesterday, Robert Mudirch, the CEO of ListiancCorp. died of a heart attack on live TV. Coincidence? Perhaps. I am inclined to think that this is far beyond chance, but we should take coincidence into account. However, this can hardly be called coincidence. Mudirch was a horrid human, with no regard for others whatsoever. Perhaps, this killer, if indeed there is one, believes that this world is better without one like Mudirch. Then, suppose the killer sympathizes with Kira's old ideals of a better world. It is the old Kira belief all over again. Soon enough, we will have mass murder on our hands. And mindless leeches will start calling Kira 'god'."

The boy--no, the Kid used lowercase when writing "god" intentionally.

_Kira could not be called a God. He does not deserve the title of such reverence. He was merely a cowardice celebrity; power hungry. And he obtained that power he so desired._

_Now let's see if those old detectives can catch my bait. _

The kid waited for a reply. He waited far longer then he made them wait.

_Do they have to discuss this for this long? Something this trivial shouldn't require such discussion._

The kid waited, and when "L" finally responded, a quick glance of excitement flashed across his face. _K's face._

He quickly read the message; when done, a small grin was slit across his face.

"L: Once again, this not L, just the investigations team. We have read your response, and have discussed the matter. We have agreed that you be the practical successor to L, but only in position. We have also agreed that you investigate this case if another person should die of a heart attack. If some else dies of a heart attack, we want you to investigate. Particularly if that person is a criminal or a prominent person who has committed some sort of harm. Kindly respond immediately."

The message ended abruptly. K read it again.

So they have no idea who this new murderer might be? Very well then, I'll give them one last clue. After that.....Coffee.

As he typed, K could not help but drink one--no, two--three!-- sips of coffee from his black mug.

The message was concise and quite to the point, it subtley sent a tone of impatient-ness, so that those "old detectives" would let him drink coffee and work.

"K: This is K, as you know. I thank you for allowing me the......luxury of this case. I have confirmed one thing, the rest is speculation. I have confirmed that L's death, and Mudirch's death are not related. Send me all the profiles of anyone whom dies an accidental or natural death and is a criminal or a powerful human."

_This message should give them all they want me to say....and indirectly let them know that I am impatient right now._

With that, K click a switch on the keyboard of the laptop, and the text box closed. He then took a few more long sips of coffee and opened another window on the keyboard. It was a document.

* * *

An hour after K's conversation with the "L team".

Footsteps. From his line of sight, the walking figure could see the door to the room. He thought of the case as he walked.

_K.....Will you take over as L? If you do, you will face a surprise, lurking as me!_

This figure walking was only known as Blank. That was his nickname. _Blank_. He wore a white shirt, torn in various places. His shorts were red, torn in various places as well. As he walked, his spiky blood-red hair swiveled. He knew that K would be down this hall.

_In that glowing room, illuminated by the screens. _

_No doubt he would be laying on the floor, probably drinking coffee._

Blank walked swiftly, and reached the end of the gray corridor. He turned back, he could see the various doors leading to other glowing rooms.

He punched a seven digit code into the keypad at the doorknob, and pressed "enter". The green "*"s flashed immensely fast, seven times.

"_Password accepted_", thought Blank.

He then pressed another code, this one six digits. The green numbers flashed six times, accepted.

The door's hinges loosened, and Blank stepped near the door. It slid open quickly.

From the desk, K could see Blank's body slide into view.

He pressed a switch on the laptop and closed it. He then grabbed his coffee mug and turned to face Blank, who was in front of him now.

"So nice to see you, Blank." He said stiffly. It was nice to see another actual human after a week of working....But Blank?

"Hello, _Kid_." Blank replied, without a tone of insult. "Kid" was in fact K's nick name.

The dark haired Kid peered at Blank and smiled, an insulting grin.

Blank grimaced at this.....grin.

"What could be so funny?" He demanded.

Kid looked into Blank's eyes.

"It's just....L is dead, and I'm his replacement." Kid said the words so swiftly; knowing it sounded like a taunt.

Blank's face shone a smile. But he quickly regained his usual grimace.

"Interesting. That was funny to you?! I should have knew that you would be the successor, but I still can't help but feel....." He trailed of.

Kid helped quicken the conversation, "envious? You feel envious, right?" Blank nodded and Kid continued. "Well, I should hope that this envious feeling will pass by you. I want you to be my partner when I act as L. You will be right beside me, helping the investigation."

Blank chuckled. He patted Kid on the head; this felt like an insult to Kid.

"Second in command? Me? I'm sorry but....I will not be second in command to you. You.....little KID. I'm far older, more experienced, and you're in charge." He shook his head, this was an outrage!

Kid grinned yet again. "If you wish, I guess we shall work apart. I shall miss your presence, but we shall part ways on investigations from here on."

Blank patted Kid's head again. Insult after insult.

He then pretended to smile and said, "I guess we will, then. I hope you do well. I know that L's death was not a coincidence."

Kid's eyes grew. "You know about Robert Mudirch?" _How much does he know, hidden in his little cave of a house?_

Blank grinned and patted his head, _again_. "Of course I know. I also know that there have been eight more deaths besides L and Mudirch. All heart attacks." He said this with quite the pompous tone.

Kid's hand on the coffee mug tightened. He slowly squeezed the mug until it crack, and coffee dripped from the new-found cracks.

"_Eight more deaths?_" Kid's tone suggested nothing but pure anger at the fact that he did not know this information.

Blank grinned, he had won the first battle: gathering the starting information.

"Yes, eight. I'm surprised that....._you're_ surprised." He said, with every bit of a condescending tone. "There there Kid," He laughed at Kid, "It will be fine. You know this information _now_."

"Yes, but what can be said to ensure that I will not be late in learning of information like this? Incidentally, you won't tell me how you learned of this information, correct?" He asked, with slight contempt.

Blank shook his head. "No, I won't. But I WILL tell you that these deaths are not coincidence, these are the killings of a new Kira."

With that, Blank grinned, turned, and walked away. He glanced back at Kid; Kid sat at the desk, his cracked mug in his hand. Before Blank even left, Kid was already opening his laptop again.

The door slid shut as the document on the laptop was opened.

_Ah yes.....Charlotte, my most trusted investigator._

The document as it read:

* * *

**Sent in: 1:20AM**

**Sent by: **Charlotte Sevas, Second in Command of K Investigations

It is now known that the ten (10) who died of heart attacks were in fact victims of a new person whom calls himself "Kira".

The method of killing is unconfirmed, as the persons whom were aware of the method are now either:

A) Deceased, or

B) Sworn to secrecy by the former L; Nate River.

Regardless of the method of killing being unknown, it is confirmed that these deaths are not accidental.

The reasons for this are as follows:

1) The victims all died of heart attacks.

2) The victims' names and faces were publicly available.

3) One of the victims; Robert Mudirch, was a corrupt businessman, as known by many people.

4) The other victims were part of the Japanese task force and the SPK.

5) The former L, whom knew of the method Kira used, has died.

This concludes that all who possessed knowledge of Kira's weapon have died of heart attacks.

This suggests that the deaths are not accidental, rather that the killer killed all who knew of the former Kira's powers and methods. Even the identity of the former Kira is unknown. Those who knew of this information are now deceased, all dead due to heart attacks.

* * *

Kid read the document, as he did, his face turned from serious to bemused. As he read, the glowing screens flashed light of his hair, creating the effect that his hair was in fact blue. After he read the document, he raised his right arm and grabbed a nearby empty mug from the vast pile of different colored mugs. He grabbed a purple one. It shone pink next to the glowing screens. He grabbed a coffee pitcher ("a coffee pitcher", for he had at least ten nearby). Pouring coffee into a new mug, he raised his arm to his face and shifted his hair away from his eyes.

Kid stood, grabbed the laptop and mug, and sank to the floor. He lay there, in his sanctuary, drinking coffee, and reading homicide documents.

He reread Charlotte's document, the better to memorize it.

_Naturally Charlotte would figure this out easily._

_I had no idea of those extra eight deaths. That brings the total to ten. Interesting how all the Kira investigators who arrested Kira are now dead. Yet there's just one death that seems random.....Robert Mudirch's death. _

_It seems that there may be two of these.....killers._

* * *

**Documents from Kid's laptop: **

**File # 1**_: _**My First Friend**

There was a picture of a red haired boy. His hair the shade of blood. A wide smile on his face.....Or was it a grin?

Name: Unknown

Alias: Bland

Age: 17

Height: 5,8?

Weight: 144 lbs

Relationship(s)/Family: (Kid grinned before he read this. Blank had no family or anyone he could call a "lover", so what would be written on this sheet?)  
No family or intimate relationships known. Possible friends: Kid, of our own organization.  
(Kid laughed, yes, I view Blank as a friend. But he views me as a colleague, or worse, his puppet.)

I.Q. Level: Level 78/100 _(An average human would receive a 50/100, give or take a few numbers, thought Kid.)_

Political Views: Unknown _(How could they even hope to know this?)_

_

* * *

_Kid read the file with _amusement_.The mere thought that Charlotte was so vastly informed made Kid laugh silently._  
_


	3. Return of Judgement

**Death Note: Kira's Successor**

**

* * *

**--If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

--This note shall become the property of the human world, once it touches the ground of (arrives in) the human world.

--The owner of the note can recognize the image and voice of the original owner, i.e. a god of death.

--The human who uses this note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell.

* * *

**Stage 3: Return of Judgment  
**

_ Certainly the death of one virus was fair if it prevented the ruining of many innocent lives. But there is a flaw. If the world were to be rid of corrupt people, that would take a brave person to judge hundreds, even thousands of criminals._

Those daring words remained etched into Serias' mind as she was in classes the next day.

She completed that thought:_  
That brave person would need to doom their own soul. Was she capable of that? _

She felt no remorse for Mudirch whatsoever, he really did deserve what he got.  
Death, perfectly suitable for him.

Serias stared at the various teachers that ran her day at school. This statement, even as Serias thought it, was slightly false. She ran her day. And she would continue to do so with _that book. _She just pretended to listen while she constantly thought about _the book_.

The lights were dim. A figure walks down the street, into the orange lamp-light that usually dimmed the streets. With the orange glow, the figure forms into Serias.

_It must already be 6:45pm. Why did I have to stay after school and watch the stupid tennis match?_

Tennis. Tennis did not interest her in the least. She used the match as an excuse to stay out long enough for it to rain.....Yet there was no rain. If it rained, she could go straight to the bathroom, pretending to be soaked, and write something in the book. Write...._What_? She did not know.  
She knew that she wanted to write something in the goddamn book.

So there she was. I dry clothes, the promised rain a lie.

She reached her building and waited while the elevator hummed a classical melody.

_Presto agitato, by Beethoven. Such a beautiful song._

While kids in her class listened to rap, pop, and other crap, she listened to classical music. She was bothered for this by her classmates, she was bothered because she liked music older then herself, which was rare in her own school.

The song ended all to abruptly, and she exited the solitary safety of the elevator and it's gorgeous music. She entered the hall, and to the left, she could hear a faint rap song by "HAWT Tempatah". That's how the name was spelled, "Hawt Tempatah", was it supposed to say "hot temperature"? Even in this "sophisticated" building, there was complete trash playing.

Serias turned towards the right and walked towards her mother's apartment, at the end of the hall. As she walked down the hall, she could hear the idiotic song fade away. She shuffled for her keys and found it somewhere in her purse. She opened the door, a dim light was emitted from the apartment into the hall.

Once inside, Serias quickly rushed to her room, but before she could silently disappear, a hand tugged at her bag.  
She swiftly turned and saw her little brother, Junis, pulling her towards him. He was six years old, almost seven and in second grade.

"Come on, Sis, look! I found something!" He said excitedly, his unruly black hair shifting in the motion.

Evidently, he felt something in her bag, so he opened her bag.  
Serias tried to pull her bag away, but it was too late, Junis was already peering inside the bag.

"Sis, what's this?! It says....."D-E-A-T-H--" He was pushed away before he could finish reading the title.

Serias quickly shut the bag and walked said, with a feigning cheery voice, "I'm sorry, but I have a ton of homework to do, so I can't---" Before she could finish her lie, another hand rested on Serias' shoulder. She startlingly turned to face her mother, Siyusa.

"Serias," Her mother whispered softly, "why were you so late?"

Serias' thoughts froze, then she quickly regained her stance, "I was at the soccer game. I really have to do some homework, so sorry." She said, flustered, and quickly escaped to her room.

_That....was so close. What if Junis actually saw the Death Note with his innocent eyes? I couldn't bring myself to write his........_

_I can't worry about that now. I must start testing these powers even farther. I've only killed one person, Mudirch, so no one should suspect me right now. But I should start killing in more varied ways.......After all, years ago, when Kira first killed victims, he mostly used heart attacks, and that was how that detective, L, was able to figure out Kira existed....._

So Serias grabbed the TV remote, pressed the power switch, and watched the news. She took out a textbook and hid the Death Note in the textbook.

_Here goes nothing....._

Serias switched the channel to a crime show that reported actual criminals_....How about New York's Most Wanted? It had a 2014 special live right now at 7pm, didn't it? I could that and make their deaths seem accidental.....  
_She silently chuckled_, an otherworldly chuckle. So unlike her usual laugh._

_"_This is New York's Most wanted, live, and on set! We have the top 50 criminals for the year of 2014 based on the most horrible crimes!" The anchor lady spoke with a voice of amusement, as if she were instead announcing the latest fashion rather then the most criminal criminals in the city. She read names and their crimes, very quickly. Serias waited to the seventh name before she wrote anything.

"The seventh person is Johnson Bull, he was convicted for raping his 14 year old daughter, 42 year old wife, 12 year old son, AND 28 year old nanny before killing them all. One by one. Truly horrible. The mother and daughter first walked home after the mother brought the child home from a nearby school. He then raped and killed them both. The son and nanny arrived an hour later, from a farther school. Mr. Bull also raped and killed them both. He then left a manic note explaining his actions and his glee at his crimes, he has not been seen since." A picture or Bull was shown, naturally his face looked contorted, with immensely buck teeth and sunken eyes.

_Lucky number 7....Johnson Bull.....Farewell, you perverse killer._

The next few criminals passed, Serias waited until another despicable person arose.

"....umber 16! Olsen Mill. He was a major investment owner, and he managed to steal billions in funds using fraud----" Before she could finish, Serias had already written his name down.

_Die.....you scum._

More names passed, until Serias found the most disgusting pair of all criminals.

"Number 50! Caitlin and Herbert Wells! This couple may be the worst yet! This couple abused their children daily and treated them horrendously!" The anchor had that plaster grin on her face. "But on December 25th, 2014, these parents gave their children the worst presents of all! The father killed his younger daughter while the mother forced the other two children to watch. The children testified that the parents then escaped to a vacation spot! The children are still alive, but they are emotionally scarred for life! The mother and father have yet to be found!" Their pictures were also shown. As usual, the mother was plump and incredibly well fed, while she nearly starved her children.....The father was, as usual, swollen faced and had sunken eyes.

That anchor's grin was still painted. The colorful background behind her gave the impression that this program was more of a celebrity news show than a crime show. The swirling mass of pink, yellow, green, blue, and orange formed nausea for Serias.

Serias decided which to kill.....The liberty taking mother.....The penetrating father....Or the anchor woman who grinned at every single woeful story.

She wrote all three of their names as she stared at the screen. At their faces. She wrote the most horrendous accidents she cold think of, the same as she did for those other criminals.

_They will all die slowly.....an painfully. And their victims will weep with gratefulness as I punish the tormentors._

_

* * *

_

In the dark room, Kid's figure was on the floor. The laptop once again showed a white screen with small black dots. Another document.

Drinking coffee and twirling his feet; Kid enjoyed reading this document. The screens at the front of the room were on, their glows cast on the seemingly blue floor.

Kid swiftly closed the laptop and turned when he heard the sliding of the door behind him.

Detective Charlotte was there. She wore a long black dress (which she used to gain information from easily willed criminals), the sleeves ended in rippled flower shaped petals. The dress gave the appearance of a long black rose, and her blond hair combined with misty blue eyes created the aura of a highly valued queen: they appeared to be the eyes of a Goddess.

She was in fact Kid's top detective (other than himself) and was the most loyal and useful of all his subordinates. Despite her appearance, she was anything but weak, and she has a black belt in martial arts (something Kid himself would never achieve, due to his fragile body).

When she walked into the screen glowed room, a grin spread across her face.

"Still reading Blank's profile? Are you that interested in him?" She joked.

Kid laughed silently. "No, I was just curious, where did you get this information?" He asked, nonchalantly.

Charlotte smiled mischievously. "It wasn't really that difficult, I merely used my natural....allure." She said, half serious.

Kid laughed; it was great to be able to laugh about such important details.

"So, I need to tell you.....Mudirch....He is by far the most interesting death we have so far." Kid said, steering the conversation into the investigative tone that was all so familiar to him.

Charlotte nodded, "Yes, indeed he is. He is the only.....'rotten' person on the list of victims. The rest were investigators that knew Kira's identity and methods."

Kid nodded in return. Suddenly, a wave of comprehension hit him. "! Charlotte....I can't believe I never thought of this but....Mudirch's killer must have been one of his own victims. While he was a CEO, Mudirch was corrupted and all but stole billions from his workers. Obviously, one of the Kira's was related to-or was- an employee for Mudirch." He glanced at Charlotte for her thoughts.

Charlotte shifted her gaze towards Kid's face and smiled, " '_One of the Kiras_?' You believe their might be _two_ Kiras?" Regardless of her smile, Charlotte's voice was anything but condescending.

Kid smiled back, "Yes.....I believe that one Kira killed all the investigators and the other only killed Mudirch. There is reasonable evidence to support this, but I can understand if you disagree with me."

Charlotte laughed amusingly, "I agree with you completely, Kid. You have never apprehended an innocent person, and I will never be as wise as you. So I don't see any reason why I should disagree with you." She said, with the most praise a voice could muster.

Kid smiled sheepishly and blushed, "Thank you. But I hardly deserve so much praise. Blank is the one who taught me much of what I know." His voice showed deep affection for Blank.

Charlotte nodded. "Yes, Blank....He is a respectable person, but he has lost his way....." She said, rather sage-like.

Kid turned towards the screen of the laptop. He could imagine Blank's face grinning on the screen; nothing but a ghostly image of a once kind individual....."Blank....The first person I ever cared deeply for.....I wish he would listen to us more." Kid said, ending the comment in a mocking tone.

Charlotte smiled warmly. "Well, he's a hotheaded person; similar to one of L's successors: Mello. Do you remember Mello?"

Kid glanced at Charlotte before continuing his gaze at the laptop screen.

"No, I don't remember Mello personally, but I did read some files on him. Interesting fellow, he seems like. Although I prefer our Blank to the emotional Mello....."He said, with more amusement then seriousness.

Charlotte laughed, and started to reply, but a beeping noise cut her was coming from Kid's laptop. Charlotte immediately ran towards the desks at the front of the room and turned one of the screens on. Kid typed in a command on his laptop (Windows 28X, the premier edition used for investigation teams). Instantly, Kid connected the laptop to the huge screen at the front. A message was displayed from the "L Team." This time, they changed their title to "Kira Investigators".

"Kira Investigators: K, it has come to our attention that there were several new deaths in the last hour. 5 deaths, to be exact. 4 were extreme criminals, and one was a TV anchor. All 5 were shown on the TV program, 'New York's Most Wanted'. The program ended exactly 11 minutes ago. The victims seem to all have died of random heart attacks during the show's premiere. Kindly respond immediately."

Kid's eyes widened and a small gleeful smile spread across his clear face.

"Excellent. Kira obviously wasn't thinking when he wrote these names. Now we know that this new Kira resides in New York City and has watched the program at 7pm through 8pm. Charlotte, please search for information on "New York's Most Wanted"; find the demographics that watch the program."

Charlotte quickly found an entire data sheet and sent it to Kid's laptop.

Kid swiftly read the information, and smiled even more gleefully, he now looked like a spoiled child.

"This is too easy. The information you just sent me confirms my suspicions. The television show we are dealing with has a precise audience of high school students and mothers. Workers don't tend to watch this program, as it tends to air during the "prime time" TV hours. Employees are usually to busy to bother with this show."

Charlotte smiled with pride at Kid's deductions. "Interesting.....You should send that to the detectives before they become to impatient for a reply." An air of bemusement spread from her voice.

Kid sent the reply to the investigators, ending the message in a way in which the detectives would not reply with another message.  
It was too annoying to let the detectives bother him now,

Charlotte stared at the words on the screen. She did not comprehend the words on the screens, rather, her mind wandered towards Kira's thoughts.

_Does this new Kira actually believe that a favor is being done to the world in the guise of murder? Kira is nothing but evil. _

_Hypocritical evil, the worse evil of all._


	4. Blank and Gods of Death

**Stage 4: Blank and Gods of Death  
**

**

* * *

**

--If the time of death is written within 40 seconds after writing the cause of death as a heart attack, the time of death can be manipulated, and the time can go into effect within 40 seconds after writing the name.

--The human who touches the Death Note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, a god of death, even if the human is not the owner of the note.

--The person in possession of the Death Note is possessed by a god of death, its original owner, until they die.

--If a human uses the note, a god of death usually appears in front of him/her after he/she uses the note.

--Gods of death, the original owners of the Death Note, do not do, in principle, anything which will help or prevent the deaths in the note.

--A god of death has no obligation to completely explain how to use the note or rules which will apply to the human who owns it.

* * *

Serias went through the tedious school day as usual, until lunch. She was sitting alone at a table reading an unusually large book.

The lunchroom was divided into many small tables, each with two or four chairs. There were random pillars with garbage bins also randomly placed. The decorator of this room must have been blind or angry, the random obstacles combined with the cramped tables made it very annoying to travel through the lunch room. At the end of the badly designed cafeteria was a kitchen, and a buffet line. Lunch in such a prestigious school was expensive, but that was not why Serias hated the food. It was just pure bad tasting garbage.

It was usually noisy during lunch, but today there was only a faint rumble of voices; many kids (especially the girls) were discussing the new kid. He was regarded as the best looking guy in the school, which probably annoyed him. No one knew his name, but the teachers called him 'Mr. Blank'. That.....was weird. But he did seem blank; he hardly talked unless required and he didn't bother with the actual school work. Serias herself couldn't care less, but it did make her book much easier to read with just a faint hum rather then the loud shouts of the usual day.

She was reading when a figure above her cast a shadow on her book. She angrily looked up and was about to excuse herself when she saw that the figure must be the new kid. She never saw him before, but he had red hair, skin tight ripped clothes, and a shadowy look on his face. _He didn't seem to dress himself carefully this morning, she said to herself. She instantly hated herself for thinking that._

"Serias Staefield?" He asked, not bothering to introduce himself.

Seias nodded and was about to retory when he cut her off by raising a finger. It gave the message, '_not here_'.  
She glanced around and noticed that many people were staring at him; they then shifted their gaze to her, surprised that he chose her to talk to.

The shadowy guy motioned towards the front of the large room. Serias understood and followed him through the maze of students. While they walked many students attempted to find out his real name and ask other questions, he just brushed them off.  
Serias couldn't help but smirk, yet she still followed. She thought she knew what would happen next.

He led her towards a student lounge in front of the cafeteria. There, students were more civil and just smiled at him or ignored the pair altogether.

He led her down a hallway, down another one, up a few flights, through another hall, into a boiler room (what?) and finally led her into a small area at the back of the boiler room. By then, she was panting since he insisted they run the whole way.

"My name is Blank, before we begin--" He started, but she cut him off.

"What do you want? Is this something for the School Ball next week?" She asked, angrily; three other boys had asked her to the dance by an elaborate gesture, and she wouldn't be surprised if he intended to ask her as well. But while she finished her angry question, she could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't interested in the ball.

He looked down and said quietly, "No, you don't interest me. This is something much more important.....I know of the killer notebook."

He said this quiet swiftly, and yet it grabbed all of Serias' breath. She stumbled to reply, but she couldn't think of a reply, she just stared blankly for a split second.

_Ho-How?! Did I make it that obvious? From now on....I must be more careful when using the notebook....But what do I say to confuse this guy? He has that.....smirk! __He thinks he caught me, but I have to confuse him._

Serias, with complete and utter calmness said neatly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Once the words were out of her mouth, he smirked even wider; he expected this, obviously.

He raised an arm to his hair and pushed his hair back, then he took out an orange folder from a bag at his side. He opened the envelope and took out a document and showed it to her. She couldn't make out the words from here, but he explained the document anyway.

"See this It's a data sheet that shows the statistics for the program, 'New York's Most Wanted.' During that program, five people died. All of those people were named and shown during the the show, and they died while the show was in progress. The data sheet.....It proves that mostly students and housewives watch the program, especially students. You're a student." He said, bluntly.

Serias gaped at him, how did he get this information from? He must be detective.....but that young? Can you become a detective while in high school? She quickly changed her face to disguise her fear, and said, "That proves nothing. There are millions of students in New York---"

He cut her off and again pushed his hair back, a grin on his face.

"Yes, but there were other victims besides the five here. One of them happens to be Robert Mudirch. He happened to be corrupt, and of the thousands of employees he had, only about one third of them actually had children. That leaves only two thousand possible suspects." He said, as if two thousand were a small sum.

Serias grinned internally, "That's a pretty large amount of suspects. What makes you sure I'm a killer?"

He now leaned over, closer to her, and pat her head.

The small gesture angered her._  
What's this? Is this his form of taunting? Does he do this to people he thinks he's better then?!_

He pulled his hand back and put the document back inside. He then removed a stack of sheets.

"These might convince you to confess." He waved the sheet in the air, she still couldn't see the text as the words were quite miniscule. "These sheets are profiles of the thousands of families that fell victim to Mudirch's scams. Of these two thousand, two thousand and fifty eight to be exact, only twenty five of these victims actually had deaths in their families. One of these twenty five families happens to be yours." He then pulled out a single sheet from the vast stack and put the rest of the pages back into the envelope, back into his bag.

Serias stared at the sheet.

_Unbelievable, this must be an FBI agent.....A sixteen year old FBI agent......_

"Look....'Blank'.....I understand your concern, but I am not a killer." She turned to leave, "Now if you'll excuse me--" He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Don't leave yet. I have something else to tell you. This may help you." He said, with a fake tone of sugary kindness.

She, surprised, turned back and stared, as if to say, "_What now?_".

He rummaged in his bag again, this time pulling out a red notebook. The notebook was deep blood red, the same as his hair. Weird.

He raised the notebook, and she gasped.

Etched onto the cover were the words, "_Death Note_."

The light from the bulbs reflected of the words in black ink. Even with half of the letters missing, she could tell it was a similar notebook. She could sense the evil that naturally radiated from the book.

He waved the book and chuckled softly.

"See? I can tell you're a Death Note owner....Because I have the Shinigami eyes." As he said this, his eyes seemed to flash red. Could it have been the notebook gleaming off his eyes?

Serias stared at his eyes and then turned away. "What are Shinigami eyes?....."

"Shinigami eyes are the eyes of a Death God.....They allow me to see the life spans and names of anyone without a Death Note. And since I can't see your lifespan, you must have a Death Note." He then raised his arm again, the sleeves stuck to his forearm, and stretched out his hand.

He said, quietly, "Give me your Death Note for second. I'll let you hold mine for a second too."

Serias nodded and found the book hidden in the textbook. He grabbed it and looked around.

"....That's strange.....You don't have a Shinigami....You don't have a God of Death following you."

_What the hell is he talking about?_

"What?" She didn't know what else to say.

"An owner of a Death Note....Never mind, just grab my Death Note." He handed her his.

The instant she held the book in her hand, she felt a rush of cold flow through her, then she realized that the frigid feeling came from his fingers, he was still holding his own Death Note and her fingers rested on his. She couldn't help but blush, but he didn't notice. With his hand still on the notebook, she couldn't examine the book, but she did see a tall figure materialize behind him.

A second later and the figures eyes glowed red, the red grew bigger. They grew until a monstrous face was right behind Blank. The figure was inside Blank....No, it went right through him. Blank turned towards the monster and said, "Introduce yourself."

"Hey there, pretty, I'm Cadavo." _It's lips moved. Moved. It was alive! Not an illusion, alive!_

_Hey there, pretty, I'm a dead body.....That's what Serias thought she heard._

_As soon as the monster's reality was realized by Serias, she felt her world drain and dark blobs covered any remaining light in the room. She felt her head sway and Blank's feet was all she saw as she felt a searing pain smash the back of her head. The last thing she saw was the guy's legs, then his face appeared out of nowhere as he bent down._

_She thought she heard a voice, but then all was still._

_She was running, running from the monster. Blank was riding on the monster's back, laughing at her misery. She was cornered, and Blank directed the monster. With a lunge, the horrible face swallowed her and she was falling through....where?_

_

* * *

_Kid was staring at a picture of three figures, two smiling. One was himself. The second was Blank, his hand on Kid's hair, and the third was half only thing that remained of the third figure was an arm and a leg. From this, it was obvious the figure was a male, but Kid could not remember who this mysterious person could be. Kid was wearing his usual black clothes, only he was smaller, and Blank was also wearing his usual torn clothes, but the third figure was wearing what appeared to be a blue sweater and white pajamas.

Kid was so small then.....and Blank seemed to be much younger as well. But the third figure was also Blank's height. His arm was holding a small paper...._What was going on? _

Kid stared at the photo, hoping his memories would return to him.

I only remember living in that small shack with Blank....._But a third person?_

_I was obviously close friends with him.....But....who was this person. I only remember Blank staying with me in that horrid place. Was there a third person?_ _I have to ask Blank about this next time I see him. If he ever returns again........._

* * *

Kid opened a document on the laptop screen.

He saw his own face staring back at him._  
Charlotte wrote one about me?_  
He had to read this.

* * *

**Documents from Kid's laptop: **

**File # 2: The Master Himself**

Kid's childish face stared back at him.

Name: Unknown

Alias: Kid

Age: 12

Height: 4 feet, 1inches? (Always was a bit short.....)

Weight: 67 lbs? (And always was a bit underweight....)

Relationship(s)/Family: (Kid smiled as he read. Charlotte knows me freakishly well) No family known. Has deep respect for Blank as a person. Possibly an unhealthy crush? (Kid laughed, Charlotte playfully wrote that just to annoy him.)  
Friends: Blank. Charlotte Sevas.(Kid laughed silently, Charlotte was usually priceless.)

I.Q. Level: Level 90/100 _(An average human would receive a 50/100, give or take a few numbers, thought Kid. But surely I'm not this intelligent?)_

Political Views: Unknown _(There would be none listed....of course, since all the popular political parties are corrupt)_

_(Wait a second, there was a new section.)  
_

Biographical Information:Was found as unconscious in an alley by Blank. Kid was only 6 years old at the time, Blank being 10 years old. Blank himself ran away from a foster home he lived in for reasons unknown.

Blank survived under the supervision of another person his age. The third person was then confirmed as missing only 2 days after Blank brought Kid into their home. Their 'home' has been confirmed as a small shack on the outskirts of a river. Blank brought food and supplies to the shack by means of thieving and begging. Blank, being highly efficient and strong, managed to provide an interactive and fun life for Kid. He found all the supplies needed for a healthy upbringing. He even managed to find many toys and textbooks, and taught Kid much about the real world that a formal education cannot even hope to teach.

Then the third figure returned after about two years of originally leaving. An argument may have occurred between Blank and the third figure.  
The third figure immediately notified police of the shack and the fact that there were two minors living in a shack without a chaperon.  
When police arrived, only Kid was found asleep. All identification of Blank's real identity were not found and Kid's identity has never been confirmed. Kid was found to be highly intelligent and as such, he was positioned as the next in line to be successor of L.

_

* * *

_Kid reread the document. Charlotte mentioned a third person.....But why couldn't he remember a third person? He was the one that informed Charlotte of how good a parent Blank had acted to him. How was it possible that only he could forget the third person?

_What is happening?_


	5. Emotions of a Blank Heart

**Stage 5: Emotions of a Blank Heart  
**

**

* * *

**-- A god of death can extend his life by putting human names on the note, but humans cannot.

-- A person can shorten his or her own life by using the note.

-- The human who becomes the owner of the Death Note can, in exchange of half his/her remaining life, get the eyeballs of the god of death which will enable his/her to see a human's name and remaining lifetime when looking though them.

-- A god of death cannot be killed even if stabbed in his heart with a knife or shot in the head with a gun. However, there are ways to kill a god of death, which are not generally known to the gods of death.

* * *

Falling.....Falling.....

Serias saw a small white sprinkle of what appeared to be light. It grew into a spark. The cold feeling grew dimmer as the light grew brighter.  
But in the light were two red eyes, staring back at her. She heard a faint chuckle as the light turned into a glow.

Then suddenly....There was a hand on her face and a hand holding her back upright. Who--

".....rias......ake....up!......Serias, wake up!" Someone's voice called to her. She felt a hand calming her face. The hand initially felt cold, but it seemed to warm. It gave her the strength to open her eyes.

The light flashed and she was suddenly in a garbage like room with tanks sending off steam.  
The Boiler Room.....

Then a flash of red. Red hair. And red eyes.  
Directly over her was the face of Bland and behind him.....! The monster, Cadavo.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound exited.

The hand slipped from her face and she realized it belong to Blank.

She became aware that someone was holding her, she tried to wriggle free, but she realized it must be Blank holding her upright.  
She finally found the strength to stand, and she put her foot down. Blank let her go and pointed his thumb behind him, towards the monster.

"This is a Shinigami. It seems he may have shocked you.....Are you feeling okay?" He asked, with not a trace of concern in his voice.

Serias nodded weakly, then she realized something frightening.  
"If you have a Shinigami connected to the Death Note.....That means I must have one too. So another one of these monsters will....." Her voice gently trailed off.

Blank nodded, "Yes. Another one will appear. I wonder why he's so late in appearing.....Cadavo...," He motioned towards the monster behind him, whom seemed to be grinning devilishly, "Cadavo appeared right after I killed a second person. You've already killed six and yet your Death God has failed to show himself."

Serias nodded, she didn't completely understand this nonsense of....._Death Gods_.....But she did understand that a monster would be paying her a visit that was long overdue.

"So.....That monster might appear at any second?" She said, the fear obvious in her voice.

Blank chuckled, he sensed her dread. "Yes.....Don't worry...," He patted her head, she ducked to avoid a second touch from him, "These Death Gods, or actually Shinigami, are usually friendly and childish......At least, Cadavo says so."

As he mentioned Cadavo, the monster cackled. It opened it's mouth and seemed to have something to say.

"Yes.....Us Shinigami are usually friendly, but there are a select few that are....grouchy.....Heh heh heh heh heh!"

_That laugh_.....It sounded demented. It echoed of the empty Boiler Room. Only the soft hum of the room's steam stifled his laugh.

"Curiously enough....There were three Shinigami that left for the human world.....One was me. The other was a female named Ivy.....And the third is named Alucard. Both of them are a grouchy bunch, so I feel sorry for you....But I think Alucard left about....six years ago and never returned."

As Cadavo said these words, Blank suddenly had a look of complete understanding on his face.

_Something has just dawned on him. _

He slowly shook and slowly fell to his knees on the hard Boiler floor.

Serias winced as a small trickle of blood appeared from his bare knees and streamed to the floor. Blank on the floor, he grabbed his shirt strongly, almost ripping it, in seemingly harsh despair.

"Hey....Blank---" She started, but he cut her off and rose to his feet. He knees still bloody. For the first time, an emotion other then indifference seem to genuinely spread across his face.

"I'm.....fine......Cadavo.....Would you say that a person whom touched a Death Note and then lost it would lose any memories of someone who owned that very Death Note?" He asked quizzically. But he realized that Cadavo was confused, so he simplified the question.  
"I mean....Say person......E had a Death Note and then person B touched that Death Note....Then say....person E resigned the notebook....would person E and B lose memories of anything related to the Death Note?" He asked, with a look an actual emotion on his face.

Cadavo stared blankly at Blank and frowned.  
"I have no idea....You'd have to ask a more experienced Shinigami, like Ivy or Alucard. But I do know that Alucard kept watch on a group of street kids....He wanted them to have actual power since they had so little left in the world....."He said with a tone that showed his dismay at the act of apparent kindness.

Serias found her voice in her throat and decided to ask a question.  
"Blank....What exactly is your reason for telling me about your Death Note? Do you want to work with me?"

Blank glanced at her face for a second but then returned his gaze to his feet.

"Serias.....Make no mistake...." He raised his arm to his hair and pushed it back. "....You're a decent person, but I'm only doing this for....a friend. This is an act of tough love with my friend. I want to win to _prove_ something, but not to beat him....Just to prove something to him. I honestly don't care if you end up changing the world like the first Kira almost did." As he spoke, another wave of melancholy emotion seemed to cross his face at the mention of his _friend_. But it was gone by the end of his reply. He then shifted his gaze suddenly up and spoke quickly.  
"So now that you know that, I have to ask. Do you want to collaborate?"

Serias stared gapingly at him.  
"But didn't you just say that you only cared about proving something to this guy. Why would you want to help---"

"I just told you. In order to win, I need your help. You want to change the world, and I want to prove something. We have a deal, right?" He said sternly, patience was waning from his voice as he extended his hand towards her.

Serias hesitated, she took his hand in hers and shook it.  
"We have a deal."

* * *

The wind rushing like a knife through her face; the world below minuscule and petite.  
The Shinigami called Ivy glided through the air, over the building below.

She continually circled the building, called "Aerial Sheacoal High School.  
The Death Note was somewhere in that building....No, two Death Notes were in that very building.

Ivy aimed her body lower and started to descend at an increasingly fast rate. She saw the little figures below grow into humanoid shapes.  
Before she was even close to these figures, she could see that none of them had a Shinigami following them.

_Cadavo's owner must be in this building.......  
No one out here has a Death Note._

With a sudden swerve, Ivy flapped her wings once and glided extremely fast towards the building._  
A reasonably small building....  
_The walls, circuits, and plumbing appeared to smash into face as she just glided through them, oblivious to humans and their world.

'Their World.....' Already, she hated herself for insinuating that humans owned this earth. They might have glorified this world with gorgeous structures, but they blotted out the true beauty of the earth. Industrialization has been occuring increasingly fast after the end of 2012. In just three years, 60% of the world was now industrialized.

But she didn't have time to contemplate the self destruction of humankind, right now, she needed to find two Death Note owners.

_That girl.....  
She must be in this school._

Many humans passed right through Ivy as she glided through at an extreme rate.

The many halls of the labyrinth of a school were no obstacle to her. Even gliding through, she could tell this was a complex shape for a building.

Suddenly, Ivy found herself in a hall with hundreds of students sitting at cramped tables.

_This must be the cafeteria_.....She swiftly glanced at the width of the room.  
_No Shinigami here._

So she flew upward.  
Layers of wood, bricks, and metal covered anything from view. Suddenly, she emerged into air. A foot went right toward her face, and for a second, all she could see was red meat and bones. Then she flew higher still, turning a little to her right, with a single beat of her wings. She was now in a reasonably secluded hall. She heard voices echoing of the walls, the echoes louder with solitude. She followed the noise and turned a corner.

_A Boiler Room. The room contains many steam and mechanical devices, but it was otherwise empty. Three figures, a girl, a boy, and.....Cadavo  
That boy that owns a Death Note. The boy is facing me, he cannot see me.  
But that girl, right in front of my....She must be my pet. The two humans seem to be shaking hands. _

Cadavo saw Ivy and his eyes widened. She heard a cackle

* * *

The deal was made, and immediately the monster behind Bland started to cackle. Serias shivered, as if dowsed in icy water.  
Bland turned, a frown on his face.

"What's so humorous, Cadavo?" He asked with a tone of command.

The Shinigami immediately stopped laughing and said bluntly, "Ivy the Shinigami is behind you, Serias."

Serias turned, and sure enough another monstrous being was standing there.  
The air seemed to escape her lungs, as she swerved. once again, Blank caught her and she straightened herself out before even daring a glance at the beast.

The monster could only be described as an elegant demon. Unlike Cadavo, who was hideously scary, Ivy was ugly by human standards, but seemed to be beautiful by Shinigami standards. She had long white hair then ended in what appeared to be thick needles. The bangs of her hair were not needles, but were actually normal hair.

While Serias was terrified of this monster, it no longer surprised her that the monster opened it's mouth.

"I am Ivy. I am a Shinigami--or Death God, as you might say. The Death Note you currently own is originally mine. I dropped it into the human world because I fancied a trip here. I am aware of the fact that you have already killed with the Notebook." Ivy spoke coldly, even more so then Blank.

Cadavo smiled and chuckled dementedly again.  
"This is....so funny! Ivy, I was wondering why didn't you show up after Serias here killed some criminals!"

Ivy ignored him and turned to Serias.  
"The Notebook....." She raised her hand. "Give it to me."

Serias gaped at her for a second.

_She wants it back?! Could I refuse?.....No, she's a God of Death! She'll kill me if I refuse!  
_Serias rummaged through her bag....But she couldn't find the book....._  
Blank! He has it!_  
Serias turned and saw Blank, a look of horror on his face. He quickly composed himself and gave Ivy the Notebook.

Ivy opened the book and peered through the only page written on. She seemed amused that Serias wrote so little.  
Serias.....You wrote only a few names.....All criminals, I presume?" She suddenly closed the book and threw it at Serias, who barely caught it.  
"I think you want to rid the world of evil. But you must understand this by now, you cannot do it alone. I think this boy...." She motioned towards Blank, "Is here to help you, even if for his own selfish means. You should work with him if you hope to achieve anything with that Notebook."

Serias did not move, for that matter, neither did Blank.  
Her hands were shaking violently and she seemed utterly fazed at being addressed by a Shinigami.....No, a GOD OF DEATH! A GOD.....She could be a GOD also.....She just needed this guy, Blank, and his tools, whatever they were.

_How DID this monster find me, anyway? Surely, I didn't make myself so easy to find?!_  
She found herself asking that very question aloud.

"Simple. I followed you after I dropped the book in the park. I saw you enter this school two days ago, and since then, I've waited until a decent amount of time before I appeared before you." That was the answer Ivy gave simply.

Another question dawned into Serias' mind, how did she know about Blank?  
She also found herself asking that question.

"Blank....Was a child when another Shinigami left for the human world exactly six years ago. That Shinigami knew about Blank and his.....'Brother.' But I am ahead of myself, I suppose you do not even know about Blank's past, correct?"

Serias shook her head, Blank behind her, his face cast down. He avoided locking eyes with anyone.  
Ivy continued.

"Blank lived alone in the streets for a long time. He escaped from a foster home he hated. He then met a rich fellow, whose identity is unknown. The owner of multiple houses, he allowed Blank to live in one of his shacks for a short while until Blank found a foster home to live in again. Regardless, Blank then found a child, whom he nicknamed Kid. Kid was only six at the time, and Blank was ten, I believe. Kid was found near a river, unconscious, and Blank brought him into the shack until he recovered. Blank originally planned for Kid to live with the rich owner's family, but events changed that. You see, the rich owner originally took care of both Blank and the Kid. He made sure they had enough supplies to live a comfortable life. But Blank wanted the original owner to leave......Two days after Kid was brought into the private shack, Blank and the original owner of the shack played a game of chess. The small shack was used as the stakes for the game and whomever won would keep the house.  
Blank won, and the rich owner lost his private vacation shack. No one knows where he went after that. Regardless, now Blank found himself caring for Kid's well being. He was essentially a ten year old parent. Must have been annoying to care for a little brat."

At this point, Blank interrupted, his face flushed with anger, "No it wasn't! Kid was almost an angel! It was nice to be in his presence." He suddenly defended Kid, whoever that was. Serias was admittedly surprised that Blank did not find caring for another person annoying.

_Blank just doesn't seem like the parent-type....._

Ivy ignored the interruption and continued. "So two days afterward, a stranger approached the home. He was Blank's age, and claimed to want to help care for Kid, whom he called his 'little brother.' The stranger visited everyday, but he did not actually live in the home itself. Kid was supposedly fond of this stranger, even though he had no idea whom he was. It was strange, but the stranger never mentioned why he let Kid live with Blank instead of returning home. Alucard never told me why, so Blank, do you know why?" She turned to Blank.

Blank's face was pale, his fists clenched, and his legs shaking.  
"Yes.....Kid was special....He was always physically weak, but mentally superior. The stranger that visited told me why Kid could never return home. He said that Kid's parents were long dead and that only he and Kid were left of their immediate family. The stranger told me that he loved in a foster home, and he was allowed to leave for two hours a day, and he could not bring any guests. The stranger told me that his new name was Este. Este resented not being able to visit Kid more, but he felt he needed to return to the foster home because a shack wasn't 'safe'. But then....Este's body was found dead on Kid's seventh birthday.....And it was heartbreaking to have to tell Kid about his brothers death...." Blank said, tears forming around his eyes. He was still violently shaking, but he attempted to control himself.

Ivy nodded and showed no concern for Blank's silent sobs.  
Serias on the other hand walked over to Blank and held his hand within hers. She spoke with comfort in her voice.  
"So....Este died......when Kid was only 7, the last member of his family....was gone.....But Blank....you were his family."

Blank, tear eyed and stricken, spoke in a small voice.  
He sniffed away his tears and said calmly, "Yes....I was his only family left....But he's looking for us, Serias. Right now, he's your mortal enemy."

* * *

**_Author's Note:_** Thank you for reading the story thus far, and I hope you enjoyed the chapters so far.  
The next ones will be better (at least I'm going to try to make them better).

Really, I appreciate anyone who read all five chapters and will continue to read any other chapters.  
But I ask of anyone who reads to please review my stories if you have the time to. Thanks in advance for any reviewers, and I hope you enjoyed the story :)


	6. The Love of Weapons

**Stage 6: The Love of Weapons  
**

* * *

-- The conditions for death will not be realized unless it is physically possible for that human or it is reasonably assumed to be carried out by that human.

-- The specific scope of the condition for death is not known to the gods of death, either. So, you must examine and find out.

-- One page taken from the Death Note, or even a fragment of the page, contains the full effects of the note.

-- The instrument to write with can be anything, (e.g. cosmetics, blood, etc) as long as it can write directly onto the note and remains as legible letters.

-- Even the original owners of the Death Note, gods of death, do not know much about the note.

* * *

Kid lay on the floor, a red coffee mug in one hand, the other hand navigating the laptop. He had a bored expression on his face.  
So very bored......

Suddenly, a door behind him sounded, and swiftly opened.  
Charlotte Sevas walked in, a grim look on her face.

"Kid....The Detectives are getting impatient. They want information now." She said, sternly, but without a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Kid nodded and pointed to a document on his laptop's screen.  
Charlotte peered and a puzzled look stretched across her face.  
"What does this mean? How did you narrow it down to only twenty five?" She asked.

Kid raised the red mug, closed his eyes, and drank an unusually long sip. A she drank, the awkwardness in the room caused Charlotte to walk to a desk, sit, and turn to Kid. By then, he was ready to reply.  
"Out of the two thousand families that Mudirch affected, only twenty five of them included deaths. That means that there is a 25% chance that Kira is one of the twenty five. There is a 1% chance that any of the twenty five families includes Kira......And most of the families mentioned have 4 family members in all. So there is .25% chance that anyone of these people can be Kira. That may seem extremely low, but the chance is worth taking since we're discussing the successor to Kira. Kira.....was the most dangerous criminal of all time."

Charlotte nodded, she understood. But there was a problem.  
"The Detectives would not even bother investigating these families unless the chance was greater then 50% that any of these people were Kira."  
Charlotte reasoned.

Kid nodded curtly, he knew all to well about their stubbornness.  
_Yes, those detectives were always so oblivious to anything that might seem even remotely risky. A lie will suffice._  
"So, then merely tell them that there is a 60% Chance that any of the families might be Kira."  
He raised the mug and allowed himself another long sip, Charlotte started typing on the keyboard during this second awkward silence.  
Kid allowed himself another drink, and another......and another....by this time, the mug was empty and Charlotte had sent the message.

Kid raised himself, walked towards the screens at the front, took a red mug with black swirls, and filled it with pitch black coffee.

Charlotte suddenly swerved and motioned for Kid to walk over.  
"You might want to see this.....More deaths!"  
He brought the mug to his mouth and drank another long sip before walking towards Charlotte who was peering at the screen.

There appeared to be 15 more victims.....Bringing the total to 30. Kira's Successor (capital letters, for this new person required his own title at this point.) No, this new Kira will be called "SKira", the "S" was for "Successor".  
Another interesting point was that all of these new victims seemed to be criminals. A criminal killing criminals.....  
A very obvious detail alarmed Kid. Before he could point it out, Charlotte replied.

"Kid, these are all criminals in the tri-state area! We now know that this new Kira is in the tri-state area, this new Kira is so blunt!"

Kid stared at her, his mouth tense. His eyes wide with wonder, a smile on his face, and a huge mug in his hands, Kid seemed childish.  
"Charlotte, SKira is sending us a message. He's saying that he knows that we are investigating this case, and he knows that we may be close. By being candid, SKira is taunting us. This means that SKira is somehow connected to our investigation. Someone may be a traitor.....Or SKira may have access to our files."

Charlotte glanced at the door when Kid mentioned a 'traitor'.  
"Maybe......Blank?" She asked. "He was the only one with access to this room other then us." She said, daring at a look at Kid, only to find him calm.

"I don't think so. Blank is......" But he was apparently unable to finish, as he cut himself off. "He wouldn't do something that obvious. Do not forget, there is another group investigating SKira, they are in Japan, but it wouldn't have been difficult to find their identities." He spoke with confidence in Blank, but internally, he doubted even himself.  
Blank wouldn't.....He cares for me too deeply to let SKira find me.......Unless I'm wrong and this is just one sided affection.....  
He shook his head and turned to Charlotte, who was staring at him anxiously.

"Kid....." She spoke with concern that felt as if she was consolidating a child. In fact, she was.  
"Kid.....I know you trust Blank.....but let's ignore any feelings we may have to any suspect involved in this case. Even if that suspect is the only one you ever cared for. After all......I suspected Blank from the start, and I had forces spy on him. They found that he was now dating a girl his age. We haven't confirmed her identity, but we know that they have been together unusually often in the past week. So I think it's time that....you let Blank go, and we look at him as suspect, and the girl might be...." She trailed off, a glance at Kid's face cautioned her to stop. His eyes were now bulging out of their sockets, and his knuckles were white.

Kid's hand suddenly tightened around the mug, another mug suddenly had cracks and dripping coffee. The red parts of the mug were ironically the only part actually damaged, the black part wrapped around the red, unharmed.  
_I knew the mug symbolized our ........ relationship, but.....Why did I order it anyway? I can't stand the metaphoric colors anymore.  
_His grip suddenly wretched increasingly and the mug began to dangerously break, one crack at a time.

At this point Charlotte stepped forward. What Charlotte just realized was Kid's eyes streaming glistening tears for the first time she ever witnessed. She hurriedly stepped forward and held his hand in hers, attempting a parent's soothing.  
"Kid.....Please don't cry.....It's so unlike you." She said, tears forming around her own eyes now.

Kid stared at her, she was worried.  
She's never seen me in any other state other then happiness or sternness.  
"Charlotte.....This isn't the first time I've actually cried. I cried six years ago when Blank left one day to forage for food, and he didn't return until a day later. I cried when Blank returned home with a broken leg. I cried when he came home crawling, clothes ruined. I even cried when he went to check a noise outside and didn't return for five minutes. _Five minutes_, Charlotte. Just five. I was so worried that he was gone. I've cried more then most humans, and until I parted ways with Blank, I assumed it was okay to cry. But I realized that such an emotion as sadness....It's useless. It makes people _weaker_. That is why I cannot cry anymore, even if I have a reason to. Even if......Blank strikes my heart in half......" The tears were long go, subtle anger now spread across his face.

He noticed Charlotte's look of worry, and decided to change the subject quickly. Facing the front screens, he spoke efficiently.  
"Someone may have betrayed us and now SKira knows that we're hunting him down. In that case, we should probably surprise SKira with.....a public announcement......And I know just the type of thing to broadcast." A mischievous look emitted from his eyes, vengeance was always the best cure for a broken heart.

Charlotte was utterly befuddled.  
"But if we do that, wouldn't SKira know that we know that he knows that....." She collected her thoughts for a second, "I mean, wouldn't that be bad for us if we made ourselves so obvious?"

Kid glanced sideways at her.  
"It would seem that way." He said, simply.

Charlotte, even more confused, weakly asked, "Are you planning to do the exact same thing L did against Kira years ago?"

"Charlotte. Get in contact with James Dreskoll.  
He walked away from Charlotte, back to his desk. He promptly dropped the red and black mug into a garbage bin, an ominous pang in heart struck as he did.  
_Blank was my past...... Solitude is my future.  
_He grabbed a new mug, a blue one, and filled it with coffee again.

Suddenly, the blue mug, glowing from the screens, sent a familiar flash across his mind.  
Deep in the reserves of his memory, a face was smiling back at him. The smile turned into cold anger. Suddenly, a flash of blue and the face was leaving, into the light. The door closed and the light was shut out with it. The figure had slammed the door, as the surroundings rattled.  
Another flash of blue, greater then the last, enveloped him, and he found himself back in the gray room.

* * *

Serias.....What a childish name. Her mother named her after the Roman Goddess of agriculture, Ceres. Agriculture!? Why not something valiant, like Justice? But her mother had chosen....Agriculture to symbolize hope and unyielding strength.

Serias lay in her bed, thinking these simple thoughts. Suddenly, a loud buzzing accompanied by a slight jingle.  
Her cell phone.  
She extended her left arm and grabbed the nearby phone, clicking it on as she observed the time. 2am?

"Hello?" She said, clearly annoyed.  
Who could be calling at this hour?

"Hello." The voice on the other end replied, rather coldly. It was a sharp tone, sounded like a twenty year-old guy.

"Who.....Who is this?" She asked, meekly.  
_Can't risk angering this person now. Whoever this is has something important to say, otherwise they wouldn't call at this hour. _  
A sudden terror struck her heart.  
_The......FBI?_

"This is not the FBI, if you're wondering." The voice attempted a reassurance, but remained hardened.  
"But we have close ties to the FBI, and if you hang up, you will be arrested."

Serias gripped the phone tightly.  
_FUCK! How the hell?! No.....this is a test, they don't know it's me. They're just narrowing down the list by scaring me.  
_As she cursed, even internally, she was ashamed. She usually tried to avoid curses, even when they were allowed.

"I-I understand. It's just.....scary to get a call from any from of the government." She said with the perfect touch of panic yet innocence.  
Yes, convince him of your non-existent innocence.

The voice on the other side was quiet.  
"Yes, I understand......However, we are not the Government, we merely are connected....In any case, there is a few questions I must ask. First, I will tell you somethings that you cannot tell anyone else. Understand?" He asked, obvious contempt in his voice.

Serias nodded, but remembered she was on the phone and said, "Yes."

The voice continued.  
"My name is Charles Lombard. I am investigating a case, and we have reason to believe that you may be a suspect. If you refuse to answer, you will only be confirming this theory. The first question is simple, what do you believe is the right way to rid the world of evil?"

Serias breathed silently for a second.  
_Such a simple question. Yet it was the most difficult question she could possibly consider answering. Is he going to profile me based on my answer?! _

"I think.....Evil can only be rid of by destroying all of the Evil in the world."  
Such a bad answer, but that's what she honestly believe.

The voice on the other end paused for a second. It appeared that it was conferencing with another person in the room, as Serias could hear murmurs, though no actual words could be made out.

Suddenly, there was a new voice. A childish voice.  
"Hello there, Serias Staefield. I am the person in charge of this investigation. Your answer.....Is immature."

Serias almost couldn't control her retort.  
_Says the most childish sounding detective I've ever heard._

"I can nearly hear your thoughts now. I may be young, but I am far more mature then most can hope to be. In any case, your answer is inadequate. Evil cannot be destroyed slowly. It must be destroyed instantaneously at it's core. The root of Evil must be eliminated, and Evil will cease to exist. If one criminal murders hundreds under the name of 'god', then others will follow suite. It is why there were so many crusades in history between so many conflicting religions. If one, who calls himself "god" decides to kill many 'unfit' people, others will believe it is okay to do so. And if those others should ever attain the same power as the first murderer, then there might be copies."

Serias felt her arms stiffen.  
_You.....DAMN YOU!_  
"Yes, but if you just eliminate the core, who's to say that the rest will even notice if it's gone?" She asked, every thought focused on reducing her wish to yell.

The voice on the other side was quiet for a moment, but quickly regained it's cold tone.  
"Good point, but I disagree. I won't continue this questioning any further, I have all the information I need." A click, and the dead tone rang in Serias' ears.  
_That was it? No more? That smug voice.....He must be laughing to himself right now. Unless....maybe he doesn't think I'm intelligent enough to even be a killer?_

_

* * *

_

A dim light shone from lamps somewhere above. A 'whooshing' sound. The sound of a train arriving.  
A quiet jingle as the doors were slid open. Inside the car, only a single figure could be seen.

Blank rose from a bench somewhere in the car. He got off the car and walked into the station. It was empty, save for a few lingers.

He was walking, along the cold station, slightly fast. His eyes were darting to the sides, many ominous figures were standing around.

He continued his stride, his thoughts drifting into the murders.  
_15 People.....That was....fun, to say the least._

His dark sneakers squeaking in the moist ground, hands in his short pockets, Blank walked down the station. His bag at his side, the Notebook hidden in the bag. Ready for use if needed.  
Ahead, he could see the exit, and he could hear the rain pelting on the city streets. The various sounds of the city erupted from the exit. He rummaged through his pocket, found what he was looking for and grabbed it. He was now holding a black and red cell phone. He opened it, and it illuminated his face with a tinge of neon blue. The background for the phone was a picture of a boy in black, with black hair. He was smiling.  
_The last smile. This must be one of the last pictures of Kid in existence.  
_

Just when he was mere meters from the exit, he saw a shadow crept to the side. It was covered by a pillar......What ever _it_ was.  
He ignored it, at first. But as he climbed the stairs to exit the station, he was aware that someone was watching him.

Blank drowned away all other senses so that he could hear the stalker behind him.  
It was useless, the rain and the city made it impossible, so Blank merely walked faster.  
_If I have to......I will use the Notebook.  
_These thoughts provided comfort, but it was erased quickly, as another realization hit Blank.  
_If I use the Notebook, it would hurt my chances of beating Kid. He'll know for sure that the new Kira is in New York City. He might even narrow it down to Manhattan....  
But I can dispose of the body.....Or make it seem like an accident....._

Suddenly, a cold cackle emitted from his side.  
Blank turned, surprised......It was just Cadavo.....  
He knows someone is following me.....

Suddenly, Cadavo's hoarse voice seemed to whisper cruelly.  
"Blank.....There's a freak following you....Licking his lips......He seems to like you, Blank. Should I introduce you to each other?"  
The humored voice of the Shinigami chuckling prompted Blank to rush up the stairs.

Fresh air engulfed Blank, and pouring rain splashed him.  
He was in the middle of nowhere. Some small desolate section in Manhattan that no one ever thinks to visit.  
And yet, he lived here.  
The streets were empty, no living souls bothering to travel here.  
Once every short while, a car would pass.

And so Blank walked, clothes clinging to him like skin due to the soakings of rain. Blank was suddenly aware of how indecent he must seem with such provocative clothing. But he did not care, he was impassive about fashion, and could not care less what anyone wore.

Suddenly, a yell.  
Blank turned, but not soon enough. Before he could see the source of the voice, he felt a large weight push him to the floor.  
A split-second later, Blank was unable to move and the attacker was holding his arms captive.

"W-What do you want?"  
Blank stammered through chattering teeth.  
_He was about to lose....To a random criminal?!_

The voice was rasp but demented.  
"Awww........And here I thought you were a high-school girl! You know, you really shouldn't wear such revealing clothing. But don't worry, I'll just pretend you're a woman when I use you!" The voice laughed dementedly.

Blank felt a hand rummaging in his shorts.  
He's going to mug me? I have to kill him before he finds the Notebook.....

But a second later, Blank heard the cell-phone's jingle.  
_My phone?.......Serias!_

The stalker clicked the phone on and sat, literally sat, on Blank's back.  
The weight almost crushed the air out of him. Through his small line of view, Blank could see Cadavo watching with nothing but glee spread across his face.

The raspy voice of the stalker spoke.  
"Who the hell is this?........" The voice must have answered, because the criminal laughed loudly. "You his girlfriend?!.........'Not exactly', you say? Well, here this. Your friend can't come to the phone.....I'll get rid of that annoying beat in his heart! You won't see him ever again! What do you think of that?" The stalker yelled, manically.

Blank's face was crushed into the concrete: the criminal had rested his elbow on Blank's neck, making it difficult to move.  
But Blank managed to free his head for just a second to turn towards his attacker.  
The name was....."Joseph Matthews, write it down!" Blank yelled loudly.

The cruel voice halted.  
Blank heard the sound of crushing plastic and metal as the criminal smashed the cell phone and smashed him with a fist.  
The criminal yelled, terrified. "How the hell do you know my name?!" Blank gave no response, so the criminal turned Blank over and grabbed his neck.  
"How.....do....you....know.....my......NAME?" He asked, with each syllable, he ripped a shred of Blank's clothes. It was a long time before he realized this wasn't working. When Blank still gave no answer, he started ripping sections of Blank's hair.  
Once this happened, Blank found an opening in this giant's assualt. Blank suddenly kicked the criminal in the gut.  
The criminal dazed for a second, giving Blank time to ram into the criminal, and making him fall.

With the guy on the floor, Blank quickly regained his composure and deliberately stepped on the criminal on his way home.  
As he walked, he heard a gasp of air, and the criminal was no more.

And so, Blank walked home, half naked, in shreds.  
Serias called for a reason.....And she came through.....When I get home, I'll have to call her.

* * *

Author's Note:  
There is a favorite character poll coming up for this story in just a few minutes (I just need to make it)  
I don't know how long the poll will stay up, so VOTE.....or else I will cry TT_TT  
Wouldn't want that, would you?

If you read, REVIEW! Even criticism is wanted! (Unless it's blatant criticizing :/)

Oh, and I recently made a website (well....not really.....) But it's an interesting mush of videos, articles, and whatnot fused together. Well, it's actually not that quite yet, but it will be. So, if you're interested in the site or just wanna help it grow, here's the URL:

.com/

And finally, I may not be able to write the next Stage early since I'm currently preoccupied with expanding my site/blog.


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